Category: Travel

Jamaica is undoubtedly the jewel of the Caribbean for most visitors from around the world. It is a haven for delicious food, friendly people and relaxing hotels perched upon some of the most amazing white-sand beaches.

If you’re a physically-challenged vacationer, it can be a bit challenging finding a hotel that accommodates your special needs. The following are some of the best wheel-chair accessible hotels in Jamaica for a fun-filled Caribbean holiday. Be sure to check the full list of hotels for other options too.

Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club

Starting off the list is Beaches, a resort renowned for its warm hospitality and beauty.

Guests here can enjoy a host of activities and bite into some mouth-watering, tasty dishes. The all-inclusive package means you not only get access to gourmet dishes and unlimited beverage, but facilities built specially to accommodate you if you’re disabled.

For example, in specific rooms, the doorways are built large enough to accommodate wheelchairs. Also, there are handrails, raised toilets and adjusted faucets for the convenience of disabled guests.

Getting around the property is also relatively easy, and the staff is always available should you need a helping hand.

For full relaxation, the resort has a full-service spa for facials, body massages, and treatments. There are also five outdoor pools to cool down when the weather becomes too hot. All in all, this is one of the best hotels for any vacationer who wants to have a good time.

Sandals Royal Caribbean

The well-manicured gardens of Sandals and the allure of a relaxing tropical vacation should be enough reason for you to decide on this resort.

Sandals Royal Caribbean is located in the parish of St. James and provides all its guests with a mix of sunshine and a good time. You can enjoy premium wines while lounging on the beach or take a dip in one of the many warm pools they have on the property.

There are four designated rooms built specifically for disabled persons. If you plan to stay here, it is essential that you call ahead and ensure one of the rooms are available for your specific travel date. Like Beaches Resort, the doorways here are large enough to accommodate wheelchairs. In the shower, there are grab rails and extendable shower heads for your convenience.

You’ll be happy to know that Sandals Royal Caribbean also has six restaurants that can be accessed via wheelchair. Getting around is also quite easy as there aren’t much-elevated slopes that would provide a challenge. For this reason, using your wheelchair or mobility scooter will be quite easy.

Coyaba Beach Resort

The Coyaba Beach Resort is another great option to consider. It sits right next to the Umbrellas Beach Bar, the best eating and drinking location in the area. Though it’s not an all-inclusive hotel like the other options above, it qualifies for this list.

To ensure easy accessibility for people with disabilities, the hotel has ground floor rooms adapted for wheelchairs. If you’re thinking about booking your stay here, the reservation department requires that you call ahead of time and let them know you will need one of their mobility-friendly rooms.

The resort also has friendly staff that’s always ready to help whenever you need. There is a small pool on property as well.

Iberostar Rose Hall Suites

Iberostar features a relaxed and serene atmosphere that anyone would find appealing. The all-inclusive wheelchair-friendly resort boasts lush surroundings, landscaped with indigenous plants and gorgeous flowers.

It has a top of the range buffet and four specialty restaurants. There are also six bars available if you’re looking to enjoy some of the fantastic liquor while staying there.

When it comes to the rooms, you’ll be happy to know that there are wheelchair-friendly options, allowing you to roll on in with ease. Like other places on the list, there are grab rails, and the restaurants on the property can easily be accessed as well.

The resort may not have a large spa, but it offers a wide range of wellness treatments and massages.

Seastar Whistling Bird Resort

If you’re considering a price-friendly option, you may want to explore the Seastar Whistling Bird Resort. You can find the seaside property in an exotic setting right on Negril’s seven-mile beach.

There’s only one wheel-chair accessible room here, and a ramp allows you to access the room quickly. Inside you’ll be happy to know there are all the amenities of a standard room including a flat screen TV, twin beds and a balcony to look out. Unfortunately, you won’t find handrails in the bathroom, and so you may need assistance getting in and out of the shower.

Other stand-out features include a business center, 24-hour front desk, a concierge desk, a restaurant that offers local and international cuisines and a safe deposit box. There’s also a picnic area where you can bask in the sun and enjoy the gorgeous sea views while you sip on your favorite drink.

By Michael Rainford of JamaicaHotelReview.com. Michael is a passionate traveler who enjoys exploring the amazing hotels and attractions on the beautiful paradise island of Jamaica. Through his website, he shares his experiences and tips on the best spots to check out when you visit.

Like most people, I make a list of places I want to visit when I travel and bookmark articles about interesting sites I’d like to see or restaurants I’d like to try. But the lists are just that and since my cell phone plan doesn’t include international travel, I can’t read the articles I’ve bookmarked without incurring fees to access them.

All isn’t lost, however. GPSMyCity is a new service that created a city walk app that embeds GPS navigation into travel articles. It also maps the route described in the article to show you the best attractions in over 750 cities around the world.

The Holy Trinity article as it looks on my phone

All you need to use the GPSMyCity city walk app as a guide is to download it to your phone – you won’t need an internet or a WiFi connection. Once you navigate to the city you’d like to visit, the app will show you where you are on the map and guide you to the next location. You can read any article from GPSMyCity however, if you decide you’d like to use a GPS-guided feature, you’ll need to pay $1.99 to upgrade. That’s less than a cup of coffee!

To access these and other GPS-guided article apps or to browse by city for available article apps, click this link. Articles are free to download to your Apple device. Once you’ve downloaded the article, choose UPGRADE and pay $1.99. You will be linked automatically to an offline map and GPS navigation that will guide you through your tour. You only pay for the offline GPS-guided use.

Announced today, GPSMyCity announced today the addition of two new features to the iOS app: Audio and Custom Walk.

Audio. The audio function offers the option of having the article read to you as you walk rather than reading it yourself.

Custom Walk. This new Walk function allows you to select some or all the sights featured in the article and create your own self-guided walking tour to these sights.

Yes, a truly great meal is punctuated with desserts. Bonus, if your dessert is an exclamation point to a course of appetizing dishes. Aside from satisfying your taste buds, desserts also share historical and cultural tidbits about the country where it is from.

Listed below some countries where you can taste must-try desserts. Let’s take a whirlwind tour of unique and sumptuous treats from across the globe.

How many have you tasted? How many are in your foodie bucket list? Check them out.

Argentina for pastelitos

These flaky puff pastries from Argentina, also referenced to as pastelitos del 25 de Mayo, are usually eaten on their Independence day. Puff pastries the size of wonton wrappers are filled with quince or sweet potato, deep fried, drizzled with sugar syrup, and decorated with colorful sprinkles for a final touch. Aside from a dessert snack, pastelitos can be eaten for breakfast, and best partnered with cafe con leech.

Pastelitos, Photo by El rrienseolava

Brazil for brigadeiros

Celebrations in Brazil are not complete without brigadeiros, a bonbon-like treat. This well-loved dessert is relatively easy to make. You just melt the butter in a pan, add in the condensed milk and cocoa powder, and stir until you get the right consistency. The mixture will then be rolled into small balls, and coated with chocolate sprinkles!

Chocolate Candy, Photo from charles-be

China for dragon beard candy

Legend has it that the first dragon beard candy was spun by an imperial court chef when he wasshowing the emperor the making of a new confection during the Han dynasty. The candy-making process involved stretching a mixture from rice flour into thin strands, which reminded the emperor of a beard. The candy is made from sugar and maltose syrup, formed into a cocoon and stuffed with peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut. It is not only a popular traditional Chinese dessert, it is also considered a handmade traditional art.

Indonesia for dadar gulung

Rolled pancakes, anyone?

Dadar gulung, a popular dessert from Java, Indonesia, literally means pancake (dadar) that is rolled (gulung). The juice extracted from the pandan leaves add the green color and unique aroma to the pancake batter. Once the pancake is made, it is filled with sweet coconut mixture, and rolled, ready to be served

Kue Dadar Gulung, Photo by Midori

Italia for gelato

Craving for a cold treat? The streets of Italy offer gelato, a softer and smoother version of the traditional American ice cream. You will surely delight yourself with the Italian gelato’s slow-to-melt, rich milkiness and intense flavors ranging from fruits and nuts to alcoholic mixtures.

Gelato, Photo by christyxcore

Japan for Mochi

The Japanese mochi is a sticky rice cake made from mochigome, a short-grained glutinous rice.Mochigome is pounded into paste in a ceremony called mochitsuki, and molded into round balls. While available year-round, mochis are often sold and eaten during the Japanese New Year. A variation of this Japanese dessert is the mochi ice cream, which has the sticky rice cake coating a scoop of ice cream inside.

Mochi, Photo by skeeze

Peru for Picarones

In the course of making a substitute for buñuelos, the Peruvians came up with picarones! This dessert is made from squash and sweet potatoes, and deep fried in doughnut form. It is served covered in syrup made from chancaca or solidified molasses. These Peruvian donuts were first made during the Spanish viceroyalty in Lima, but are now popularly sold during religious celebrations in October.

Philippines for the bibingka

An icon during Christmas season in the Philippines, the bibingka is a rice cake often sold in stalls outside churches for the duration of the ‘Misa de Gallo’ or nine-day novena mass. The traditional bibingkang galapong is made from a batter of rice flour and coconut milk or water, and cooked in clay pots, lined with banana leaves. Once cooked, it is topped with a spread of butter, a slice of salted duck egg, sugar, and grated coconut.

Bibingka, Photo by Roberto Verzo, Wikimedia

About the Author

Stacey Marone is a part-time pastry chef, and editor for Scholar Advisor. She hasn’t outgrown her sweet tooth, and decided to make a career out of it. Stacey particularly orders for a country’s traditional dessert whenever she gets the chance to travel.

The Oculus, the gleaming white World Trade Center Transportation Hub that is the centerpiece of the revitalization of Lower Manhattan, is striking for its futuristic design as well the contrast it draws to the structures that surround it. Designed by the Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, at a cost of $4 million, the Oculus is approximately 800,000 square feet. From the outside, it resembles a bird with giant, outspread wings, ready to take off. The inside, looks to me, like the deck of an enormous space ship.

A bird?

According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s website, when it opens fully later this year, 250,000 commuters will pass through its concourses connecting daily to 11 subway lines, the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rail system, the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, the World Trade Center Memorial, Towers 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the World Trade Center, the World Financial Center and the Winter Garden.

While we were there on Saturday, we saw just a fraction of that number. As they walked through, many turned and snapped photos of the cavernous white space.

Some lay on their backs on the marble floor to photograph the ‘eye’ and the slice of the World Trade Center building that peeks through.

As the light started to change, I tried to imagine how the interior looks when the sun rises and sets daily.

The Oculus has such a light appearance that standing beneath the 155-foot high ‘eye,’ I felt as if we could start moving – we didn’t.

The Oculus is not only a transportation hub. About 78,000 square feet of its space will be dedicated to stores and restaurants. Most of the spaces were covered with hoardings from retailers such as H&M, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, etc.

The Oculus, reflected in the North Pool of the World Trade Center

The Oculus (eyelike opening or design) never fails to catch the eye. My only issue is that the Port Authority should have set aside more space to give it room to ‘breathe.’ With a building within a few feet of its left ‘wing,’ it feels hemmed in.

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I noticed them right away – two giant heads at one of the east side entrances to Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park. I stopped jogging to take a closer look. Neither figure resemblance Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican-born black nationalist after whom the park was renamed in 1973. Maybe, I thought, the likeness was of Pelham Fritz. Fritz, the former assistant commissioner of recreation at the Parks Department was a regular at the park. Following his death in 1988, the park’s recreation center was named for him.

I checked but there were no plaque, no sign, nothing to indicate why they were there. I was intrigued. I took a few photos. As I did, another jogger stopped and asked if I knew who they were.

(E)scape – New Faces, Bob Clyatt

(E)scape – New Faces

(E)scape – New Faces

I was jogging again the following week when I spotted this colorful totem-like piece just north of the basketball court. I decided to finish my jog and go into the park to take a closer look. By now, there were several more pieces and all had plaques. In addition to the artists’ name and the title of the piece, each indicated this was a Flux Art Fair.

Golem, 2013 Jordan Baker-Caldwell

According to their website, Flux Art Fair “embodies Harlem’s creative spirit and cultural significance” and is a collaboration with NYC Parks, NYC Department of Transportation’s Art Program and the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance.

Located in the Mount Morris area of Central Harlem, Marcus Garvey Park is bounded on the north by 124th Street, on the south by 120th Street, on the east by Madison Avenue and by Mount Morris Park West (Fifth Avenue). The park was previously called Mount Morris Park.

Flux Art Fair features work by over 40 artists. Most will be on display at Marcus Garvey Park until May 31st. According to their plaques, Big Head (Harlem Rose), Surge, Sculpture Love, Outdoor Indoor, The Odyssey and (E)scape – New Faces will remain until August 1, 2016. The exhibition is free, however there are several paid events around Harlem, including talks on May 21 and 22 and a family brunch.

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The red telephone booth was ubiquitous in the Jamaica I grew up in. You’d find them outside post offices in districts and towns across the island. There was one outside our post office too. It stood like a sentinel at the intersection of the two main roads that dissected our district, looking square at the Anglican Church on the opposite side. To its right were the parish council office, shops, a movie theater, gas station and the market that was active from Thursday to Saturday and where we Anglicans had our annual Maypole Dance.

The phone in the red telephone booth was our district’s only connection to the world where it had sent scores of its children – to the ‘Big War’ (World War II), to England, Canada, the United States and beyond.

Red Telephone Booths, near Burlington Gardens, London

When the phone in the red telephone booth rang, anyone nearby would answer, ask the caller to call back at an agreed upon time then rush (or send someone else) to deliver the news to the family. (One of the good things about a small community is that everyone knows everyone.)

To make a call, you gave the operator the number and she (it was mostly young women) would place the call for you and tell you how much to deposit into the coin slot for the first 3 minutes. Public phones took only coins then so you had to have a pocketful in case you exceeded the time. If you were calling a private number, you would tell the operator to ‘reverse the charges,’ that is, have the person on the other end pay for the call.

Because it was illuminated, the red telephone booth attracted moths and young people – and some older folks too. During the rainy season, children (as many as possible) would cram themselves into the booth to wait out the rain. It was near the phone booth that my first boyfriend broke up with me on a Sunday afternoon after church. I was devastated and convinced that my world had ended.

My cousin in a telephone booth in London. Notice the homeless man?

I never thought much of the red phone booth beyond its use as a means of communication until I saw one in the Cotswolds that had been repurposed as a defibrillator. I wondered what had happened to the booth that had occupied such a prominent spot in our district and our lives.

A little research on Google revealed that the red telephone booth was the creation of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect who also designed Waterloo Bridge. There were several versions over the years and even the red color, BS381C-B539, was defined. The design, or an adaptation, was exported to the colonies, which is how they got to Jamaica.

Repurposed red telephone booth, The Cotswolds

Our telephone booths had 4 large panes of thick, clear glass on each side that were framed by red strips. They were not soundproof so people nearby could hear your conversation if you were a loud talker and during the day, they got quite hot.

I don’t know when the red telephone booth was removed (it was still there in the 1980s when I took a photo of it), but it sure occupies a special place in my memory.

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Van Gogh’s Ear (and art) have fascinated the public for years. As the story goes, in 1888, Vincent van Gogh moved to Arles in the south of France to create a space for artists to live and work. He found said place and convinced his friend and fellow painter, Paul Gaugin, to join him. The two worked together successfully for months before the friendship soured and Gaugin decided to return to Paris. Van Gogh was so upset about the failure of the friendship that he took a knife and cut off his left ear lobe. After bandaging himself, he wrapped the lobe in newspaper and took it to a brothel where he asked Rachel, the girl he gave it to, to guard it carefully.

Now, 163 years after van Gogh’s death, the artists Elmgreen and Dragset have created a public art piece they call Van Gogh’s Ear, in tribute the famous artist’s most famous external organ. The piece, located at the Fifth Avenue entrance to Rockefeller Center’s Channel Garden (across from Saks Fifth Avenue), is on display until June 3rd.

An ear was not the first thing that came to mind when I saw Van Gogh’s Ear close up this week. The shape made me think, at first, of a gigantic bean (or giant foot) but with its Tiffany blue-looking interior and striking white edges, I decided that it looked more like a pool. But the silver steps on the right, the elongated strip at the top (the diving board) and the small circular lights at the bottom, convinced me.

But how does a pool become an ear? According to The Guardian, the artists, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, who have been working together since 1995 (longer than van Gogh and Gaugin were able to do), are fascinated with swimming pools. They’re also known for taking ordinary objects out of their usual context, like Prada Marfa, their installation of a Prada store in the middle of the Texan desert.

Van Gogh’s Ear is a pool, and it’s also an ear. When you look at the backside of the 30-foot installation, which stands upright on its wider end, you definitely see the outline of an ear. Bracketed as it is by towering brick buildings, the shock of color, whether viewed from the front (blue), or the back (white) where it seems to sit in a flower garden with two small pools, is eye-catching, and incongruous. But then, that’s the idea.

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If you like antique or flea markets, a trip to Portobello Road Market is a must if you’re visiting London. Portobello Road Market is a series of shops and stalls that run for almost two miles on Portobello Road in London’s fashionable Notting Hill area. At Portobello, you’ll find not just antiques and collectables but also vintage and new clothing, furniture, household goods, bric-a-brac, fruits and vegetables, restaurants and pubs.

I went to Portobello Road Market in August on my last full day in London. Since Fridays and Saturdays are the Market’s busiest days, I decided to go during the week to avoid the crowds. I took the train from Paddington Station to Notting Hill Gate (you can also use the Ladbroke Grove station), and followed the signs – about a 10 minute walk – to the market.

Even though it was a Tuesday, the Market was abuzz with activity and people and delivery trucks rumbling down the narrow street. I didn’t plan to shop but I knew if I saw something I liked, I’d buy it. An antique silver stall was my first stop. Several items caught my eye but I couldn’t decide and ended up buying souvenirs and gifts for family and friends at another stall.

I don’t remember where I saw this sign but its quirkiness drew my attention. I was surprised when I researched the name to discover that there really had been a Sir Edwin Saunders, who was Queen Victoria’s personal dentist. He was knighted in 1883.

Seeing these teapots, cups and saucers made me wish for a pot of tea.

Colorful crockery at Portobello Road Market

If you go to Portobello Road Market, give yourself time – there’s quite a lot to see.

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We were coming in to land at LaGuardia Airport on a particularly sunny afternoon a few months ago when I looked out the window – I always get the window seat for precisely this reason – and saw this:

New York City

It was such a spectacular view, I grabbed my cell phone and moved closer to avoid the sun’s glare on the window. (Thank goodness, there was no dust and no watermarks.)

The Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges cross the East River and connect the east side of Manhattan to Brooklyn.

That patch of land in the foreground is Governor’s Island, a 172-acre island 800 yards south of Manhattan, which is on the left. To the north, is Brooklyn, one of New York’s five boroughs. (Staten Island, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx are the other four.)

Continuing over Brooklyn towards Queens. That’s the East River on the left, Manhattan is across the river.

Getting closer to the airport; getting closer to land.

Named for the former New York mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia, LaGuardia Airport is located in East Elmhurst, Queens, and overlooks Flushing Bay. Whenever I fly in to LaGuardia, I always look out the window and watch the approach. Since the bay is so close, it looks like we’re heading straight for the water. Finally, the runway comes into view. I always say a prayer of gratitude for the pilot’s skill. (If you’ve landed at Laguardia, you know what I mean.)

LaGuardia is the smallest of the three major airports (JFK International and Newark Liberty International are the other two) that service the New York City area. It also has no immigration or border control so if you’re flying in from Canada, for example, you clear immigration before your flight departs.

Have you ever landed at an airport that has a tricky or unusual approach?

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Jamaica had a fantastic few weeks on American television when two reality shows, The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Bachelor, filmed some of their episodes there. Although neither show appeals to me, I swallowed my distaste and allowed the storyline to take a backseat to the view unfolding on my television screen. I ended up catching more of The Bachelor than of the Housewives. Here are some of the places they featured (not in oder):

YS Falls, St. Elizabeth

The show centers around a young man who’s trying to find a marriage bride. In the episodes that were filmed in Jamaica, the prospective groom travels with one of the two female finalists to YS Falls. Located on a 2,00-acre spread in southwestern Jamaica, YS Estate and Falls is a former sugarcane and logwood tree (a natural dye) farm and privately owned stud farm. YS has its own waterfall – seven, to be exact – that reach to 120 meters with several natural pools.

YS Falls

The area surrounding the falls is lush and green. Visitors can swim, do canopy rides or just relax. There are also activities for children.

YS Falls, JamaicaFalling for YS Falls

Good Hope Great House

I saw only a part of the episode that was shot at Good Hope Great House. When I tuned in, the couple was standing outside the house. Although the grounds are beautiful, I think the interior is even more stunning.

Good Hope Great HouseGood HopeThe Counting House

The Blue Lagoon

When they showed the couple at the Blue Lagoon, also called the Blue Hole, the popular local destination was unusually devoid of people but still recognizable. Located between the parishes of St. Ann and St. Mary, the Blue Lagoon, was not quite ready for international visitors when I visited a few years ago. It’s possible that the show could have rented it for filming.

It was great to see the Blue Lagoon on television. I was a little sad though as it’s one of those places that, given the choice, I’d keep for local use.

Do you ever go out of your way to watch a show that featured your country?